“It gave me another perspective of how strong she was and how good she was,” Alan said. “She has excellent footwork and a good left hand. She looks college ready out there to me.”

Basketball is the family game. The three Jenkins kids, mother (also a former Franklin basketball player), aunts, uncles and cousins all gather for pickup games during most summer cookouts.

And Jordyn has emerged as the best.

The evidence is in her spending summers on the AAU circuit with college scouts learning her name as she’s rated the No. 42 player in the nation for the Class of 2020, according to ProspectsNation.com. Jordyn was named the NPSL Cascade Division MVP and has helped lead Kentridge to its third consecutive state tournament berth, where they’ll be going for their second state title in three years.

“My dad didn’t beat me by that much,” Jenkins said. “I blocked some of his shots, and he said I didn’t. But I’m going to get him this year; he’s going to lose. I was nothing then compared to where I am now.”

Jenkins spent last summer working on her ball-handling. She already has a solid midrange offensive game, and she can shoot with either hand, use the Euro-step to quickly get to the hoop for layins and is formidable on defense with good timing to block shots.

If there’s room to grow, it’s Jenkins learning how to manage her reactions.

“With any sort of growth on the court, mentally is just as important as physically growing as a player and she’s come a long way,” said her mother Joya, who coached her children’s youth basketball teams. “I used to have to get her a towel and put it in her gym bag, so she could cry in it. She’s an emotional kid. She can be happy and crying.”

Jordyn is unapologetic when confirming she’s the type who might sob while reading any novel or watching the teen drama “Riverdale,” despite having already watched both seasons more than 40 times.

Being in tune with her emotions can be tricky on the basketball court. Especially with Jenkins’ strength and passion.

“Jordyn has a level of physicality and intensity that is not matched by many, and that’s her greatest strength,” Woodinville girls basketball coach Scott Bullock said. “We had a player last year, Regan (Schenck), who was a really intense and physical girl and sometimes that gets frowned upon. At the same time, it’s an important part of the game, so every good player who plays that way needs to make sure they balance it with smart decisions.”

Credit Woodinville for helping Jenkins master the mental game of basketball. The Falcons are the defending Class 4A girls basketball state runners-up, defeating the Chargers by one point in overtime in the quarterfinals of the tournament at the Tacoma Dome.

Jenkins fouled out early in both losses. The calls ranged from offensive fouls to an unsportsmanlike conduct for stepping over a player after a collision.

“It’s probably one of the hardest things being a post player, you have to have a certain attitude,” said Jenkins of being targeted by opponents defensively. “It’s the little things that you have to have a better attitude about, or it can ruin your whole game. I’ve started to think about the bigger picture. That call won’t change, so I have to get right back into the game because it could be a win-lose situation in close games.”

Jenkins is fortunate to have a talented teammate in senior forward JaQuaya Miller to emulate. They call each other brothers like former Nathan Hale stars Michael Jr. and Jontay Porter, who are 6-10 post players.

Watching the duo win their Class 3A boys state championship in 2017 before Miller and Jenkins helped Kentridge win its title later that night at the Tacoma Dome left the girls awe-struck. Jenkins has learned from how Miller handles herself in games and different ways to score or defend.

“It’s clear that Jordyn gets fouled,” said the 6-4 Miller. “Some refs have even told us before that, ‘You guys are bigger, you should be able to take the hit.’ It can be frustrating because a foul is a foul. Jordyn is the type of player who’ll react. But I’m just proud of her because she’s learning it won’t get her anywhere.”

When Jenkins is in the game alongside Miller with junior guard Daylani Ballena running the offense, it’s a show Alan Jenkins likens to watching the Seahawks in the Super Bowl.

Miller, a Washington-commit, utilizes her finesse on the court to average 17.2 points, 10 rebounds and 3.8 assists this season. The senior was the Cascade Division MVP the past two years.

“Kentridge is as good as we are because Quay and Jordyn work so well together,” said Chargers first-year coach Brad McDowell, who was an assistant the past eight seasons. “Jordyn has definitely grown as a player and a person the past couple of years. I’ve asked her to do more and she’s enjoyed that role of having expectations placed on her. We want to get back to the state tournament, and she’s helped us be on track to do that.”

Jayda Evans: 206-464-2067 or jevans@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @JaydaEvans. Jayda Evans covers the Sounders. She offers observations, critiques, and occasional offbeat tales. Evans also has written a book on the Storm and women's hoops titled, "Game On!"